It was not easy and it was emotional for Lindsey Vonn as she celebrated her 50th Alpine Skiing World Cup win in the Garmisch Downhill. It has taken Vonn just over seven years to make this milestone of 50 wins and talking after the race, it was still trying to sink in, the enormity of the win. With the cold weather doing its best to grab the headlines, it was not until the last split that Vonn had the fastest time. Until then she had been chasing the time of Nadja Kamer of Switzerland. Kamer would eventually finish second with Tina Weirather in third.

“It is amazing yet I will wait until the last racer is down before I can celebrate, I cannot believe it” explained Vonn in the finish area after her run. Garmisch is one of the toughest courses on the Women’s tour and this is before the cold weather played its part. The steep section in the middle knocked a number of racers off the line yet for Vonn she was aerodynamic and aggressive yet she too was not free of mistakes through the bumpy middle section of the course.

Where HEAD World Cup Rebel Vonn leaves the rest of the field standing though is in her self believe and never say quit attitude. Despite being over six tenths down on Kamer at the second split, Vonn clawed her way back, taking risks not many others would dream of. Vonn had people gasping in awe, especially her coach Alex Hoedlmoser, who has been with her for all the 50 wins: “This was my section and it was bumpy and icy. She made a little technical mistake and it almost ended in a crash but she pulled it off like nobody else would and did not really lose much speed there.” By the final split, the lead was hers and the speed that her skis were generating saw her cross the line with a comfortable four tenths lead over Kamer in the finish.

The record books are being rewritten now as Vonn also moves into second in the all time list of Downhill wins on 25, chasing Anna Marie Moser Proell on 36. This ninth season win also moves her closer to becoming only the second woman to win ten or more times more than once. Vonn’s personal record is 11 in a season in 2009 – 10.

As ever Lindsey Vonn “gave everything for this win!” Maria Hoefl-Riesch, racing her hometown course was fast at the top but lost her way a little lower down on a course many felt was very hard to be fast on. Hoefl-Riesch came in fourth.